By Harry Rogers Members 20 ways to rephrase common accounting terms to build trust with your clients 21 Sep 2026 Struggling to communicate with clients? Here are 20 common accounting statements that can be slightly altered to help build confident and professional relationships. Clear communication is a key part of building strong client relationships. As an accounting professional, the way you explain information can be just as important as the information itself. Clients want to feel informed, understood and confident that they’re in safe hands. Small changes in language can make conversations feel more professional, reassuring and trustworthy. Over time, that trust can strengthen working relationships and help you deliver a better client experience. Below, we’ve highlighted 20 common accounting statements and the simple ways to refine them. Perhaps use this tool when you’re next sending an email to a client, or catching up over a coffee. These subtle adjustments can help you communicate with greater confidence and build credibility. Instead of saying… Try saying…Why does this work?“Your cash flow position is under pressure.”“More money is leaving the business than coming in right now.”Explains the real-world impact.“Revenue has increased by 15%.”“Sales are up 15% compared with last year.”Uses more familiar language.“You’re profitable but illiquid.”“The business is making money, but cash isn’t always available when you need it.”Distinguishes profit from cash flow.“Your debtors have increased.”“Customers are taking longer to pay you.”Focuses on the client’s experience.“We’re forecasting a shortfall.”“Based on current trends, you may run short of cash in the coming months.”Explains the consequence.“Your overheads are too high.”“The everyday costs of running the business have increased.”Removes jargon that could be misunderstood.“You’ll need to improve working capital.”“You’ll need easier access to cash to cover day-to-day expenses.”Connects the concept to reality.“Your gross margin has declined.”“You’re making less money from each sale than before.”Easier to understand.“There are VAT implications.”“This may affect how much VAT you need to pay or reclaim.”Makes the impact clear.“You have significant liabilities.”“The business owes money that will need to be paid in the future.”Uses plain English.“The balance sheet shows…”“The business currently owns this and owes this.”Explains what the report means for those who might not know what a balance sheet is. “We’re seeing an adverse variance.”“Performance is below what we expected.”Avoids technical terminology that clients may not understand. “The business is highly leveraged.”“A large proportion of the business is funded through borrowing.”Gives context to ambiguous wording.“You should review your receivables.”“You may want to focus on collecting outstanding customer payments sooner.”Provides a practical action for your client to take away.“Your cost base has expanded.”“Your operating costs have increased.”Simpler wording.“You’ll need accrual adjustments.”“Some income and costs need to be recorded now, even though the money hasn’t changed hands yet.”Explains the concept clearly without any doubt.“Let’s review the management accounts.”“Let’s look at how the business has been performing financially.”Explains the purpose.“Your EBITDA remains strong.”“The business is generating healthy income from its day-to-day operations.”Focuses on the key message and removes confusing acronyms. “You’re exposed to financial risk.”“There are some issues that could affect profits or cash flow if nothing changes.”Makes the risk tangible without causing panic.“The projections indicate sustainable growth.”“Current trends suggest the business can continue growing at a manageable pace.”Replaces technical language with plain English. Listen to episode 3 of AAT’s Balancing ambition podcast In the latest episode of Balancing ambition, our expert guests discuss how finance professionals can strengthen trust, improve working relationships and create better outcomes for the people they work with. Discover more Harry Rogers is AAT Comment’s news writer.